The Independent
·16 November 2024
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·16 November 2024
Following the impressive 3-0 win over Greece in Athens on Thursday, just the Republic of Ireland stand between England and a return to the top flight of the Uefa Nations League (5pm, ITV).
The midweek victory, thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins, Curtis Jones and an own goal from goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, moved England top of the League B Group 2 table on goal difference.
With Greece expected to beat bottom side Finland in their clash on Sunday, Lee Carsley’s team will need to make sure they do a professional job at Wembley on Sunday.
Betting sites don’t foresee any slip-ups with England a best-price of 1/4 on for the win with Ireland as big as 14/1 on some betting apps.
When the two sides met earlier in the season, in Carsley’s first game in charge as England interim boss, it was relatively straightforward for the Three Lions with goals from Jack Grealish and Declan Rice securing the 2-0 win in Dublin.
Ireland go into the game with six points from their five games after two wins over Finland, including a 1-0 win in Dublin on Thursday.
Evan Ferguson scored the only goal of the game and goals have been a problem for new boss Heimir Hallgrimsson, who has seen his side score just three times so far - all against Finland.
They have also conceded seven and it will be another tough 90 minutes for the defence on Sunday against a Three Lions side who have scored 11 in the Nations League and conceded just three.
Kane will return to the starting line-up to lead England’s attack on Sunday, despite the Three Lions having looked extremely effective with Watkins leading the line. Watkins opened the scoring in Athens and played 66 minutes before being replaced by Kane, after which time England added two more goals to their tally with the Bayern Munich striker on the field.
The 31-year-old has scored 19 goals in 20 games so far this season including two goals on his last appearance at Wembley, which happened to be his 100th cap.
He will be desperate to be back amongst the goals after two appearances without scoring since, although he’ll need to work hard to breakdown a well-organised Ireland team.
Ireland haven’t been hammered away from home for some time with 3-0 friendly defeats to Portugal and on their last trip to Wembley in 2020 their largest defeats in the past four years.
Defeats to nil have been far more regular, failing to score in eight of the last 12 away losses, and bettors looking for a correct score wager on football betting sites may want to factor in England keeping a clean sheet.
Betway give bettors a chance to cover several score options in their multi-score market and it’s an option worth consideration.
England are heavy favourites to beat Ireland at Wembley on Sunday and while there’s little value in the normal match odds, BetVictor are offering odds of 50/1 on a Three Lions victory.
There’s no BetVictor bonus code required for this special sign up offer, just open an account, opt in to the promotion and make an initial deposit of £5 or more.
Next, place a a maximum £1 bet on England to win at the normal match odds. Should England win, bettors will be paid out in cash for the real money part of the wager, with the bonus funds credited as free bets.
For example, a £1 bet on England at 1/1 returns £2 cash and £49 in free bets.
For those looking to have a bet on the Nations League or any other sporting event, it’s important to remember to gamble responsibly at all times.
When betting, always assume you’ll lose and therefore, only bet what you can afford to lose. If you win, then that’s simply a nice bonus. The same applies if you’re using casino sites, slot sites, poker sites or any other form of gambling.
Make sure you use the responsible gambling tools offered by betting companies such as deposit limits, reality checks, loss limits and time outs.
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